Drink This Week: The Patiala Peg Cocktail – How to Make It
Folklore claims that in 1920, Bhupinder Singh, was adamant that his cricket team would succeed over a visiting English squad. To secure an advantage, he threw a lavish party the night before the match, where he presented his guests the notorious Patiala pegs. These are notoriously substantial four-finger measure whisky pours, customarily gauged from pinky to forefinger. Predictably, the English players drank too much, leaving them extremely hungover and, consequently, beaten the following day. Thus, the myth of the Patiala peg was born.
This take on a kind-of old fashioned takes its cue from Singh's beverage. Here, we present it from a bespoke large-format bottle, but we've modified the instructions to make it easier for a home environment.
The Patiala Peg Recipe
Yields 1 litre, to serve 10-12 drinks.
What's Required
- 725g blended Scotch
- 130g sugar syrup
- 6g Angostura bitters (about 1⅓ tsp)
- 1g orange-flavoured bitters (about ⅕ tsp)
- A pinch of salt
- 2g xanthan gum powder
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bottle. Include 130g water, agitate until fully incorporated, then transfer it in the refrigerator. It can be stored for up to a few weeks.
For serving, measure out roughly 90ml of the prepared cocktail into a rocks glass filled with ice (traditionally one large cube). Drink straight away. If you're feeling traditional, you could use the four-finger measure instead.